The 10 most-watched anime on Netflix in 2026
Remember when anime used to get treated like some little niche thing? Clearly, that’s not the case anymore. Netflix’s 2026 figures show just how massive it has become, with more than half of members now watching anime. The days of explaining shonen and seinen to your friends might finally be easing off. About time, really.
What stands out most is that the old giants are still running the show. New releases might take over the timeline for a weekend, but One Piece and Naruto have whole universes waiting for anyone brave enough to start from episode one.
Newer hits are not exactly struggling, mind you. Anime like Jujutsu Kaisen, Devil May Cry and Demon Slayer are rocking the list.
Right then, cancel all the plans because you’re about to go through Netflix’s ten biggest anime franchises of 2026 so far.
The 10 most-watched anime on Netflix in 2026
10. Hunter x Hunter (2011–2014)
Starting us off at number ten is Hunter x Hunter, which has pulled in 12.6 million views despite spending half its life giving fans fresh reasons to joke about hiatuses. Gon Freecss grows up thinking his dad is dead, only to discover Ging is very much alive and has chosen the dangerous life of a Hunter over raising him. Sensible reaction? Probably not. Gon decides to become a Hunter himself and track him down. That journey brings Kurapika, Leorio and Killua into his life.
Do not let the bright opening fool you, though. The story gets darker and far more morally complicated as it goes on. The Chimera Ant arc alone has left half the fandom deep down the emotional hole. What makes the series so special is that it tells that strength is never the only thing that matters. Gon has frightening potential, but Killua trying to escape his family’s control often hits even harder. No wonder people keep coming back.
9. The Seven Deadly Sins (2014-2021)
Just ahead of it is The Seven Deadly Sins, another long-running fantasy that clearly still has plenty of pull. The story follows a disgraced group of knights accused of betraying the kingdom of Liones. Princess Elizabeth does not believe the official version, so when the Holy Knights seize power, she sets off to find the Sins herself. The first one she meets is Meliodas, a cheerful tavern owner who also happens to be their absurdly powerful captain.
From there, everything gets bigger. Let’s see, we’ve got demons, ancient curses, old romances and too many hidden backstories to keep the reveals coming for ages. The animation quality has caused its fair share of arguments, and fans have definitely made their feelings known. Still, the mythology is super bingeable, and every new Sin brings another layer to the story. 12.8 million views say people are still happy to head back to Britannia, even when the power scaling has completely gone south.
8. Devil May Cry (2025-)
Moving from mediaeval mess to demon-slaying swagger, Devil May Cry hits the chart eighth with 13.4 million views. Netflix had a tough job here because fans of the games have very specific ideas about exactly how cool Dante should look while fighting monsters. Created by Adi Shankar and animated by Studio Mir, the series follows Dante as he gets dragged into a conflict threatening the boundary between the human and demonic worlds.
He crosses paths with government operative Mary Ann Arkham, better known as Lady, while the mysterious White Rabbit pushes a plan driven by resentment between both realms. Dante treats every battle like another chance to show off, but there is grief sitting underneath all that confidence which he isn’t aware of, or is he? With 13.4 million views, it has really answered the big question pretty firmly: yeah, Devil May Cry works in animation.
7. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012-)
And if Dante likes showing off, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure launches the same energy into another dimension entirely. Hirohiko Araki’s saga follows different members of the Joestar family as they deal with supernatural enemies. It starts with Jonathan Joestar facing Dio Brando, then reinvents itself every time a new JoJo takes centre stage.
That constant change is a massive part of the appeal. Phantom Blood gives you Gothic melodrama while Stardust Crusaders becomes a globe-trotting adventure. Do you know that later chapters stretch the Stand system into gloriously bizarre territory? The fights often depend on rules that should make no sense but somehow do. With 13.8 million views, subtlety has clearly done one, and honestly, the series is better for it.
6. BAKI (2018-2020)
After all that posing, BAKI arrives to remind everyone that sometimes anime just wants two enormous men to punch each other until reality gives up. The franchise follows Baki Hanma, a teenage martial artist determined to surpass his father, Yujiro, who is known as the strongest creature alive. Their relationship is not exactly healthy, is it? Calling it tense would be putting it very politely.
Netflix’s entries throw Baki against death-row inmates, tournament fighters and opponents whose bodies appear to have ignored every known rule of anatomy. Beneath all the muscle, though, there is a story about inherited violence. Baki wants his father’s respect while trying not to become another version of him. That gives all the fighting a personal edge, even when the series is behaving like absolute nonsense. 15 million views suggest audiences are more than happy to go along with it.
5. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019-)
From exaggerated violence to beautifully animated heartbreak, Demon Slayer takes fifth place with 17.1 million views, which is not surprising, given the show’s massive following. Tanjiro Kamado returns home to find his family murdered by a demon, with his sister Nezuko the only survivor. She has been transformed into a demon herself, but parts of her humanity remain, so Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps and searches for a cure instead of abandoning her.
The setup is simple, but the show has just so many emotions, most of which come from Tanjiro’s compassion. He fights demons without forgetting they were once human. Then there is ufotable’s animation, which regularly sends the internet into meltdown. People may arrive for the beautiful design, but they stay because Tanjiro is one of the kindest heroes in modern anime.
4. My Hero Academia (2016-2026)
Only just ahead is My Hero Academia, proving there is still life in the superhero genre when the emotional foundations are solid. Izuku Midoriya is born without a Quirk in a world where superpowers are normal, but his instinct to help others catches the attention of All Might. The world’s greatest hero then chooses Izuku to inherit One For All, which is a massive responsibility to land on one anxious teenager.
U.A. High gives Izuku the training he has always wanted, but it also pulls him into a conflict shaped by everything hero society has got wrong. It begins as an energetic school story but eventually becomes a wider look at responsibility and the danger of expecting one person to save everyone. The huge supporting cast helps as well, because every fan has a favourite student they think deserves more screen time. With 17.7 million views, the final stretch clearly kept people hooked.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen (2020-)
Then the numbers take a serious jump. Jujutsu Kaisen sits in third with 24.8 million views, and considering how much suffering its characters have endured, they have probably earned the attention. Yuji Itadori swallows one of Sukuna’s cursed fingers to save his friends, turning himself into the vessel for the King of Curses. Jujutsu society delays his execution so he can consume the remaining fingers first, then plans to kill him and destroy Sukuna permanently. Nice and straightforward.
Naturally, everything goes wrong. The series combines brutal supernatural combat with a grim look at how institutions use young people. Yuji, Megumi and Nobara are still students, yet the adults around them keep sending them into situations no teenager should have to survive. Gojo brings plenty of charisma whenever he appears, but the story still asks what happens when even someone that powerful cannot stop disaster. That tension has clearly kept viewers hooked.
2. Naruto (2002-2007)
It’s quite surprising that Naruto is not at number one. From one generation of traumatised young fighters to another, Naruto takes second place with 33.5 million views. You can complain about the filler or argue that another shonen is better and swear you have moved on. But the second that familiar music starts, you are right back there. That emotional hold has never really gone away. Naruto does that to you.
Naruto Uzumaki begins as an isolated prankster dreaming of becoming Hokage, unaware that the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him is the reason his village fears him. His training with Sasuke and Sakura grows into a much larger story about war and whether revenge can ever truly end. Shippuden follows them into adulthood, while Boruto looks at the generation raised after their victories. There is a lot to get through, but the main story is simple: Naruto wants to be acknowledged, then learns that real belonging comes from mutual connection.
1. One Piece (1999-)
And then, at number one, is One Piece. Was anybody honestly expecting the Straw Hats to lose the crown? With 43 million views, the franchise is ten million ahead of Naruto, which is the sort of gap that makes the rest of the ranking look a bit nervous.
Eiichiro Oda’s story follows Monkey D. Luffy as he heads towards the Grand Line in search of the treasure left by Pirate King Gol D. Roger. That sounds simple enough until every island brings its own history and politics. Details that look like throwaway jokes can return hundreds of episodes later and completely finish you off. At the heart of it all is the Straw Hat crew, a chosen family whose individual dreams matter just as much as Luffy’s.
Netflix has boosted the franchise through the live-action series and films, but the original anime is still the main event. Yes, starting it is a serious commitment. But once you are in, a thousand episodes stop looking excessive and start looking nowhere near enough.